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A small story:
I drifted into the office because I could hear Consort laughing and I heard a girlish voice. I assumed he was talking to Kid.
He was watching @AOC on the floor of the House, calling @RepTedYoho to account for his actions. Consort cheered.
I watched.
I drifted into the office because I could hear Consort laughing and I heard a girlish voice. I assumed he was talking to Kid.
He was watching @AOC on the floor of the House, calling @RepTedYoho to account for his actions. Consort cheered.
I watched.
When she finished, Consort all but leapt to his feet, pumping his fist in triumph.
"Things are changing!" he shouted.
"Isn& #39;t it pretty to think so," I said, because I am mildly anhedonic and also female.
"She held him to account," he insisted, "This was historic."
"Things are changing!" he shouted.
"Isn& #39;t it pretty to think so," I said, because I am mildly anhedonic and also female.
"She held him to account," he insisted, "This was historic."
"You know what the New York Times decided was historic about it?" I said, "That a young woman used naughty words in her office."
https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/1286494080415997952?s=20
"Well,">https://twitter.com/MarkHarri... that& #39;s bullshit," he said.
"Yes," I agreed.
https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/1286494080415997952?s=20
"Well,">https://twitter.com/MarkHarri... that& #39;s bullshit," he said.
"Yes," I agreed.
He continued, "But the fact remains, she confronted a dinosaur and made it harder for the next dinosaur to behave like that."
I thought about just nodding.
I breathed.
"Do you know," I said, "how often someone calls me a & #39;Fucking bitch& #39;?"
I thought about just nodding.
I breathed.
"Do you know," I said, "how often someone calls me a & #39;Fucking bitch& #39;?"
"I...don& #39;t know."
"About every two days," I said, without having to think about it, because I know.
"You mean, in the world?"
"Not right now," I clarified, "Because I& #39;m going nowhere. But on social media? Sure. And I promise you, most of those men are under 40."
"About every two days," I said, without having to think about it, because I know.
"You mean, in the world?"
"Not right now," I clarified, "Because I& #39;m going nowhere. But on social media? Sure. And I promise you, most of those men are under 40."
"Any female human," I continued, "Has learned through painful experience that about 90% of the & #39;You fucking bitch& #39;-es thrown their way are just assholes blowing off steam, but about 10% might be willing to escalate this."
"Even if you& #39;ve heard it 25 times that month, that week, that shift, there& #39;s going to be a moment of assessment of risk. There will be a little shot of adrenaline. This starts when you& #39;re about 10 and I have no idea when it ends," I finished.
I thought about smiling and making a joke to lighten the mood.
I decided not to.
"Honey," I said, "I love you to death but I have to be honest; I am so fucking tired of men. I& #39;m tired of having to filter every single decision I make through my safety."
I decided not to.
"Honey," I said, "I love you to death but I have to be honest; I am so fucking tired of men. I& #39;m tired of having to filter every single decision I make through my safety."
"I& #39;m tired of having my sentences cut off by men. I& #39;m tired of hearing I& #39;m up for & #39;the& #39; job on a writing staff when we all know that means & #39;the woman.& #39; And, honestly, I& #39;m tired of needing to babysit men& #39;s moods to the extent that this had to start with me saying I love you."
Consort sat for a second, probably making very certain he wasn& #39;t cutting me off mid-sentence.
"That must suck," he said.
"You do not know and you will not know," I said, evenly, "But there isn& #39;t a woman alive who isn& #39;t wasting a good chunk of her brain on this bullshit."
"That must suck," he said.
"You do not know and you will not know," I said, evenly, "But there isn& #39;t a woman alive who isn& #39;t wasting a good chunk of her brain on this bullshit."
"Yoho called her & #39;crazy& #39; because that& #39;s what they do, what they& #39;ve always done, they call us crazy to deny what we& #39;re saying. I wish I could believe it was nearly over," I said, "But I want you to remember that guy who shouted at our daughter."
When Kid was 14, she was walking down a quiet street.
A man drove past, slowed down and said something so violent, so terrifying that she ran the better part of a mile back to our house.
"He did it because he was a garbage person," I said, "But he also did it because he could."
A man drove past, slowed down and said something so violent, so terrifying that she ran the better part of a mile back to our house.
"He did it because he was a garbage person," I said, "But he also did it because he could."
